


Home (With You)

by Luna_Corvidae



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Because they all deserved better, F/M, M/M, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24418312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Corvidae/pseuds/Luna_Corvidae
Summary: An alternate ending, originally written to heal my post-TROS sadness. In which Ben lives, several important conversations are had, and they all live happily ever after.
Relationships: Finn & Rose Tico, Poe Dameron & Finn & Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 5
Kudos: 42





	Home (With You)

Ben Solo watched as the light slowly returned to Rey’s eyes. After years of forcing down his emotions, he suddenly felt overwhelmed by them. They were alive. She was alive! He realized his hands were shaking. Rey sat up, and he could see in her face the exact moment when shock turned to relief and joy. “Ben,” she whispered. She broke into a grin, her entire face suffused with happiness as she looked at him. Ben realized with a pang that this was the first time in years someone had looked at him like that, like he was worth saving. As her hand lightly traced his cheek, he couldn’t help but smile too- a real smile this time, unrestrained and overjoyed.

There were no words. They needed none. Everything he wanted to say he saw reflected back at him in her eyes. Mirrors, that’s what they were, always had been from the beginning. Reflecting each other’s opposite, reminding each other of what they could become. How many times had he asked her to take his hand? And now here she was, fingers laced through his, holding him tight like she couldn’t bear to let go. 

A strange, contemplative look crossed Rey’s face. Their gazes locked and the air between them seemed to shiver with tension. Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him, gentle and fierce at the same time, full of longing and loneliness, like this was both goodbye and a new beginning. He held her tight, and in that moment everything else faded away. Ben realized with sudden clarity that this was the only place he’d ever truly wanted to be. This was home. 

They pulled apart, and he let his gaze drift away from her eyes to study her face. Ben knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was dying. He’d come so close to the end before, cheated death so many times, to know that these were his final moments. _A life for a life._ At least they’d had one wonderful moment of happiness. As he looked, he tried to memorize every inch of her, every freckle, every scar. As his vision darkened, he hoped that she could still be happy when he was gone.

-

Maz stood vigil over Leia’s shroud. During times like this, it struck her how short human lifespans were. She felt so heavy with grief for her friend. Her only consolation was her memories of Leia. The princess had lived her life so fully and shone so brightly in defiance of the tragedies that plagued her. She brought hope to the galaxy, Maz thought. We all owe her a great debt.

It was at that moment that the fabric covering the late general fell gently to the ground with a sound like a sigh. Maz felt a ripple in the Force. _A life for a life._ “Same eyes, different people.” Maz whispered. Maybe this time it would end differently. 

-

Rey realized something was terribly wrong when Ben‘s hand suddenly went limp in hers. Bonded as they were, she could do nothing but hold him in her arms and watch as she felt his life force slowly slip away. No, Rey thought frantically, no! This wasn’t how it was supposed to end! Hadn’t she lost enough already? She choked back a sob. Please…

And then she felt it. A tingling as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. A subtle shift echoing through her bones. Her gasp turned into a laugh as Ben twined his fingers through hers and slowly opened his eyes. 

“We made it.” he whispered hoarsely, full of wonder. And then he was crying, and she realized that she was crying too. They held each other close as tears streamed down their faces, lost somewhere between joy and grief. 

Suddenly, Ben pulled away from her, wincing as if to block out sudden pain. “Rey…” An expression she’d never seen on him before crossed his face- regret, perhaps? His voice was thick with emotion when he spoke. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry. I’ve hurt you so many times, I’ve hurt so many people…” He trailed off, eyes hollow and haunted, carrying the look of someone who thinks themself irredeemable. 

Rey closed her eyes and nodded, conflicting emotions stirring up a storm. “I know.” Grief and love and hatred and relief tumbled together over and over inside her until she could hardly tell which was which. “I know. And I don’t- I don’t think I can forgive you, not right away. I need time.”

“That’s far more than I deserve.” Ben said softly. She closed her eyes and pulled him close. They held each other tightly, two broken, lonely things who had found a home in each other. 

Her voice was a choked whisper when she spoke. “You didn’t leave me. They always do, but you- you didn’t.”

“We’re not alone.” Leaning back so that they were face to face, he smiled at her, his face gentle and full of hope. “Not anymore.”

-

Finn wandered through the crowd, searching desperately for two familiar faces. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his arm and start to drag him away. By the time he whirled around to see who it was, the roar of the crowd had died away and he was standing in the secluded shadow of an X-wing. “Rose?” She stood with her hands on her hips, looking at him with her usual expression of equal parts annoyance and affection. 

Relief flooded him, followed quickly by guilt. He had barely seen her for months. Mostly because she had spent nearly all of her time working with the late general- Finn swallowed down a sudden pang of loss- but if he was being honest with himself, also because he’d been avoiding her. He took a deep breath, and said what he should have said months ago: “I’m sorry.” The words all tumbled out in a rush as he spoke, “I know I’ve been avoiding you. I just- I didn’t know how to tell you that I didn’t feel the same way, and I got so caught up in my work and I-“ He took another deep breath to steady himself. “It was wrong of me, and I’m sorry.” He dragged his gaze up off the ground to meet her eyes. 

Rose smiled slightly. “It’s okay. I forgive you.” He blinked. Even after all this time, she still managed to surprise him. “I was avoiding you too, you know. I think we both needed time to work out how we felt.” Finn realized that despite everything, he’d missed her kind smile, her easy companionship. She extended a hand. “Friends?”

He beamed and took it. “Friends.”

-

Poe turned- and grinned. Finn was striding towards him, carefully weaving through the throng of people. In unison, they pointed at each other, before falling into each other’s arms. Poe held him tightly, unspoken emotions threatening to overflow. He didn’t know how to say: _You are everything to me, for a moment I thought you might be dead and I couldn’t bear it, I don’t want to be parted from your side ever again._ When they finally separated, Finn’s expression shifted from joy to… nervousness? Poe frowned. “What is it?”

“I- There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.” Finn looked flustered, and Poe’s traitorous heart skipped a beat. _Stop hoping_ , he told himself. _He doesn’t-_ “I love you.” Somehow, Finn looked even more nervous now. The words rang in Poe’s ears. He didn’t know if it was actually possible to die of shock, but he almost keeled over anyways. Finn turned away to mutter something, and all of a sudden Poe knew with absolute certainty that he had to do something right now or else the love of his life would slip through his fingers. 

Without thinking, he reached out and gently turned Finn’s face to his. Leaning forward, Poe closed the distance between them. He put all the things he’d always wanted to say into the kiss, trying to tell without words all the times his heart had stuttered when Finn had smiled, all the ways he lit up whenever Finn walked into the room. Kissing him was as natural as breathing, and Poe thought: _I could get used to this._ They broke apart, Finn practically radiating joy. He opened his mouth to speak, but the unmistakable sound of an X-wing flying overhead stopped him in his tracks. Confusion flickered through his mind. All the surviving X-wings were accounted for...except one! Poe could see the exact moment when Finn realized it too. Hand in hand, they took off sprinting.

-

Finn stopped short, causing Poe to nearly trip. Rey was alive, thank goodness, and stumbling towards them- but she wasn’t alone. She was half-supporting, half-leaning on a limping man in black clothing. Finn’s brain refused to accept what his eyes were clearly telling him. That couldn’t be… Kylo Ren? What was the murderous Supreme Leader doing arm in arm with the last Jedi? All around them, stunned silence turned into furious whispers as the other Resistance fighters came to the same realization. He felt Poe tense.

Today, it seemed, was full of impossibilities. Palpatine, the shadowy figure that had terrorized the galaxy for decades, defeated for good. Poe, the man he loved with every inch of his heart, kissing him like they were the only two people left in the world. And Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order, leaning on Rey with his fingers twined through hers.

“Medic! We need a medic!” Rey’s voice was hoarse. She looked like she was on death’s door, and the man next to her- Kylo Ren, Finn reminded himself, though it still seemed impossible- didn’t look much better. 

“You heard her!” Poe shouted, despite his obvious distrust of the stranger in front of them. They were face-to-face now, and Finn could see just how exhausted Rey looked. Strangely enough, underneath all the weariness he thought he saw a satisfied sort of happiness. 

In a low voice he asked, “Rey, what happened?” 

Rey lifted her head, surveying the gathered rebels- most of whom were still muttering in a discontented, if not openly hostile, way. She spoke loudly enough for the crowd to hear her. “Palpatine is dead. For good this time.” The whispers grew to a roar, and Finn heard a few cheers and whistles. Rey raised her voice and continued, “I defeated him- but I didn’t do it alone.” She glanced at Kylo Ren, whose expression was resigned yet rueful. Head held high, as if daring anyone to challenge her, she spoke: “Ben Solo fought by my side. Without him, I would have lost- and we all would have lost. He saved my life.”

Finn struggled to process this new revelation. Of course he trusted Rey- he’d trust her with his life- but… He looked at Poe helplessly. His face was stormy, but Finn thought he detected thoughtfulness there too. Something was different about Rey, that much he could see. Paradoxically, she seemed completely at ease for the first time since he’d met her. And he didn’t miss the way her face softened when she looked at Kylo Ren- Ben, as she’d called him. Finn made a quick decision. 

-

Once they were safely inside, away from any prying eyes or listening ears, Rey finally told her friends the whole story. Whenever she faltered, Ben would start talking in his gentle, low voice, weaving in his perspective of the battle. When they finished, Finn pulled Rey in for a hug, and she was reminded for the hundredth time how lucky she was to have her friends.

A few seconds later, Poe broke the silence. “So, what do we do now?” He glanced at Ben. “And what do we do with him?” 

“I know you have no reason to trust me.” Ben answered quietly. “And I know you have no reason not to execute me, either. Maybe- maybe I deserve it. But if there’s even a chance that I can stay, that I can help heal all the pain I’ve caused the galaxy, then I want to take it. I want to help finish what my mother-“ His voice broke a little. “I want to finish what my mother started. The First Order is still out there, and I know all their secrets, all their hidden bases, all their weaknesses. I can help the Resistance win this war.” His gaze slid searchingly between the two generals, and when he spoke again it was to utter a single word, simple and plaintive: “Please.”

“Well,” Finn said after a moment, sharing a glance with Poe. “How can we refuse an offer like that?” 

“He means,” Poe said, smiling, “welcome to the team.” 

Rey grinned, absolutely overjoyed. She didn’t think she’d ever felt so happy or relieved in her life. Ben shared a small, hopeful smile with her. Her two closest friends laughed, and Poe draped his arm around Finn affectionately. Something had definitely changed between them. They seemed more at ease around each other, and Rey had seen the way they looked at each other when they thought no one else was looking. 

A sudden wave of emotion interrupted her train of thought, and it took her a second to realize that it was coming from the bond she and Ben shared. She’d gotten so used to immediately blocking off these bursts of shared feeling that it almost felt strange when she allowed their bond to swirl and flow between them, reveling in that feeling of wholeness, that feeling that at last she was found. Joy, regret, and cautious hope all meshed and wove together, both of their emotions tangling. Things had never been simple between them, Rey reflected with a wry smile. She doubted they ever would be. 

She took Ben’s hand, and let her gaze wander across the smiling faces of the people that had become her family. In that moment, the galaxy seemed full of possibility, and Rey felt her heart swell with a feeling that might have been love, or joy, or both. With her friends in front of her, the other half of her soul beside her, and the promise of a bright future ahead of her, Rey smiled to herself and thought: _I am home._


End file.
